Sewol Investigation

[Anchor Lead]

The former minister and vice minister of oceans and fisheries have been arrested on allegations that they tried to impede the investigation into the Sewol ferry sinking. It’s emerging that the ministry was monitoring the special committee investigation and reporting its findings secretly to the Park Geun-hye administration.

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In January 2015 then-presidential secretary for political affairs Cho Yoon-sun met with Vice Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Kim Young-seok and other government officials at a hotel in Seoul. Prosecutors have found that she admonished the ministry and asked the officials to reduce the size of the special committee investigating the Sewol ferry sinking so that the government could keep it under control. A week later, a group chat room was opened on social media. It consisted of seven government officials from the special investigation committee, including former Vice Minister Yoon Hak-bae, who was serving as presidential secretary for maritime affairs at the time. The group chat room was used to exchange information in real time on what the committee members were doing and discussing. The chat group members were urged to take extra caution when transmitting materials to keep them confidential. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries also used the group chat room to monitor the committee members, such as what events they attended. Committee members from the then-ruling Saenuri Party exchanged the results of meetings with the government and their party, and even requested instructions on what to do next. As controversy arose over document leaks, members of the group chat expressed concerns about their safety and discussed countermeasures. The prosecutors have confirmed that 30 confidential documents of the special committee investigating the Sewol ferry tragedy have been leaked so far.

[Soundbite] Rep. Jeon Hae-chul(Special Committee Investigating Sewol Ferry Sinking) : "It was been found that the past administration and the government tried to obstruct the investigation into the Sewol ferry sinking. We must make sure that the new members of the committee can uncover the truth behind the Sewol ferry tragedy."

Then-presidential secretary for maritime affairs Yoon Hak-bae, who collected information in the group chat room over five months, was later nominated as vice minister of oceans and fisheries.